The Tohopekaliga Tigers will venture away from home to square off against the Avon Park Red Devils at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
It was a proper cat-fight when Tohopekaliga faced off against Lake Nona on Friday. The Tigers lost to the Lions at home by a 30-13 margin. The Tigers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite the loss, Tohopekaliga had strong showings from AJ Wise, who picked up 184 receiving yards and one touchdown, and Sabby Meassick, who threw for 366 yards and a pair of TDs. Wise showed off some serious burst, lighting up the secondary with a catch for 56 yards. A healthy portion of Meassick's aerial production (82 yards to be exact) also went to Tre Punter.
David Eugene
| 10/24/25 vs Lake Nona | 14 |
| 10/17/25 @ St. Cloud | 10 |
| 10/10/25 vs The Master's Academy | 5 |
| 10/03/25 @ Lake Brantley | 11 |
| 09/25/25 @ Harmony | 11 |
| + 3 more games |
Even if they lost, Tohopekaliga's defense still kept up the pressure with nine sacks. The heavy lifting was done by David Eugene and Gavin Aponte, who racked up five sacks between them. Eugene is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in each of the last eight games he's played. Juan Hidalgo was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 15 total tackles (2.0 for loss) in addition to snagging an interception.
Meanwhile, Avon Park entered their tilt with Lake Placid on Friday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Dragons 34-0.
Tohopekaliga better keep an eye on Jabhari Payne. He was instrumental in Avon Park's win, throwing for 150 yards and three TDs on only 14 passes, while also punching in one score on the ground. Those three passing touchdowns gave Payne a new career-high. Tayvion Jones helped Payne out on the ground, rushing for 65 yards and one touchdown.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Avon Park proved: they limited Lake Placid to a paltry two yards per carry. The team can thank Frankie Robinson for the heroic effort on defense: he. Avon Park's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 4.68 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 6.87 on average over their last five games.
Avon Park's victory bumped their record up to 6-3. As for Tohopekaliga, they now have a losing record of 4-5.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's game: Tohopekaliga has been excellent in the air this season, having averaged 328.7 passing yards per game. It's a different story for Avon Park, though, as they've been averaging only 85.4 passing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant passing game?
Everything came up roses for Tohopekaliga against Avon Park in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, as the team secured a 42-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
